Public Interest Disclosure

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act) is the legislation underpinning the Australian Government’s Public Interest Disclosure (PID) scheme to encourage public officials to report suspected wrongdoing in the Australian public sector. The PID Act offers protection to ‘whistleblowers’ from reprisal action. The protection applies to public officials who disclose suspected illegal conduct, corruption, maladministration, abuses of public trust, deception relating to scientific research, wastage of public money, unreasonable danger to health or safety, danger to the environment or abuse of position or conduct which may be grounds for disciplinary action. The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman is responsible for promoting awareness and understanding of the PID Act and monitoring its operation; as well as providing guidance, information and resources about making, managing and responding to disclosures.

The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman has released a new guide for agencies to use in assessing and managing the risk of reprisal. The guide can be found here.